How To Make Major & Minor Triads: A Guide For Beginners

Major & minor triads are not just chord shapes you memorize, but the the foundational building blocks of guitar chords.  In this lesson, we are going to learn why they are called that and how to form them.  This will help improve your rhythm guitar playing.

 

A  lot of guitar players just memorize the shapes.  They might even know the names of them.  But, if you want to be better than most, you must take your knowledge one step further.  Learn a bit of music theory and learn why they are called triads, what makes a major triad, and what makes a minor triad.

 

 

This is not difficult to do if you learn some basic guitar chord theory.  Most guitar players never take the time to do so.  This is a shame because they would be so much better if they did.    It is quite easy if you take a little time to study and put it into daily practice.

 

First, you start with the 12 notes of the musical alphabet.  Also known as the chromatic scale.

 

The musical alphabet:  A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#

 

Out of these twelve notes you create the major scale.  Which consists of 7 notes.  Here we’ll use the A major scale.   A  B  C#  D  E  F#  G#  

 

As you can see from the scale above, we have 7 notes.  The 1 is the A, the 3 is the C#, and so forth and so forth.  Here is where we will create our major & minor triads.

 

The major triad

This chord is made up of three notes.  That is why it is called a triad.  a chord of three notes.  The scientific formula for it is 1  3  5 of the scale it comes out of.  This means, that the chord formula will stay the same, but the notes will change with the chord.

 

As we can see from the notes above in the A major scale, to form the A major triad we need to use the A  C# & E notes.  The 1 = A, the 3 = C#, and the 5 = E.  That is how all major triads work.

 

You find the 7 notes of the major scale.  No matter if it’s G, C, D, or A.  You then find the 1 3 & 5 of the scale and you unlock the mystery to the major triad in any key.

 

 

The minor triad

This is almost the same thing.  Except in this case, you flatten the third note.  So in the case of the A major triad (the A C# E), you move the C# back by one fret.  This makes it a C note.  So now, the formula has changed to a 1 b3 5.  A C E.

 

 

Remember, this works with all minor triads.  You find the third note in the chord and move it back by one fret (flatten it) and this makes it a minor triad.  Here are a few more examples.

 

C Major Triad:  1  3  5 = C  E  G

C Minor Triad:  1  b3  5 = C  Eb  G

D Major Triad:  1  3  5 = D  F#  A

D Minor Triad:  1  b3  5 = D  F  A

 

Can you see how this works with all major & minor triads?  This is what’s called basic chord theory.  I highly recommend you print this out, or you get a sheet of paper and write it down.  Then research the notes for other major scales such as E, F & G.

 

Practical application

Knowing how to figure this out on paper in theory is one thing.  But being able to apply it in practical application is another.  You must be able to apply this to your guitar playing.  You must be able to form these on your guitar and be able to turn any major triad into a minor triad.

 

Once you can do this with ease, you can create any chord you choose.  You will also be able to use them in your songwriting if you so choose to do so.  Major triads give you a happy sound, and minor triads give you a sad sound.

 

By knowing this, you’ll be able to create emotion with your music as well as create additional chord extensions like 7th chords, 9th chords, 11ths, and 13th chords.  It all comes down to the 7 notes in the scale and how well you master them.

 

Dive deeper

If you’d like to dive deeper into this subject of creating major & minor triads,  check out the book I authored and self-published Learn Guitar Chord Theory

This book will teach not only how to create major and minor triads, but also a lot of other chords that are commonly found in many of your favorite songs.   Packed with chord diagrams and written in an easy-to-learn step-by-step method.  Even if you have no previous music knowledge or experience of any kind.

 

This book will show you how to create the chord,  How it is made from the musical key it comes out of, and how to alter the notes to create many more chords.  As well as learning activities and exercises to help ingrain the information in your brain to easily apply it to your guitar playing.

 

Grab the book today and get started learning guitar chord theory.  once you do, you’ll be well above 99% of people playing guitar today.  Why?  Because most guitar players don’t take the time to learn theory.  They just memorize chord shapes.

 

If you want to be better, you must take your guitar lessons to the next level and learn more.  A lot more would be preferred.  Just keep studying and practicing daily.  Before you know it, you will be developing skills you never knew you had.

 

Contact me if you need further assistance as I am always available to help.  Study, practice, and most of all have fun.  Enjoy the journey and get to your destination with a smile.

 

Until our next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins.

Dwayne’s Guitar Lessons